


the honest truth (there's nowhere i'd rather be)

by LtTanyaBoone



Series: love ignites in my veins [3]
Category: Pan Am
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-04-13 18:22:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14118216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTanyaBoone/pseuds/LtTanyaBoone
Summary: Someone buys a ring. It might not all go according to plan.





	the honest truth (there's nowhere i'd rather be)

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third story in 'love ignites in my veins', a modern!AU in which Kate and Colette end up with each other.

It’s not exactly a “spur of the moment” decision. She’s been thinking about this, a lot. For the past... well, it first occurred to her in a bar in Athens, and the last time they were in Greece was over two months ago, so yeah. It has been months since Kate first began to consciously consider the option, and examine her feelings and do a lot of soul searching.

The thing is, she wants to get this right. She loves Colette, loves her more than anyone else. Aside from Laura, maybe, but Laura is her sister, and Colette is... her world. It sounds so stupid and lovesick, but it’s true. Kate has been in countless failed relationships, she knows what it feels like, loving someone that doesn’t love you back equally, or being loved by someone who you only harbor lukewarm feelings for at best. Colette and her, they’re not like that, though. Kate has never doubted that the love Colette feels for her runs just as deep as the one she has for the other woman. They’ve both made mistakes, in this relationship, they’ve both hurt each other, but Kate has never considered in any of those moments that breaking up would be the logical choice. She’d instead looked at their relationship and went “How can we fix this?”, which, for someone whose first instinct is usually to run and not look back, is saying a lot.

Colette and her have been together, officially, for two years and ten months. Including the awkward “on again, off again affair because we’re both chicken and afraid of ruining this friendship” phase, they’re almost at four years. Longer than Kate has ever spent in any relationship, had ever thought she would be able to be with another person. But when she thinks about it, she wants more, wants a lot more years with Colette.

Kate tilts her head at the window display, her eyes taking in the rows of rings. She furrows her brows, wonders, briefly, why one of the wedding rings always looks plainer than the other, before she remembers, and then lets out a soft sigh.

“Find something interesting?” Laura asks as she steps up to her, and Kate feels herself flush with embarrassment as her sister’s eyes widen slowly.

“Kate-”

“Didn’t you say you wanted new shoes?” the redhead cuts off any possible commentary on what she’s just looked at by her younger sister and attempts to pull Laura in the direction of a shoe store.

“Kate,” her younger sister repeats her name and crosses her arms, and Kate knows she is losing this battle, and losing it fast. So she lets go of Laura’s arm in favor of crossing hers and gives her sister a challenging look.

“What?” she asks, and watches as Laura shakes her head with some amusement, her lips tugging into a smile.

“Engagement rings?” she asks, nodding towards the window display of the jewler Kate got fascinated by. The redhead groans inwardly at the glee and enthusiasm in Laura’s voice. Jesus, one of these days, she hopes her sister finally matures, and loses some of her youthful energy.

“You’re thinking of proposing?” Laura inquires, almost vibrating in her spot, and Kate rolls her eyes before she lets out a soft sigh and shakes her head, looking away.

“No,” she lies, hating that she does it immediately. But this, this is so, personal. Laura and her, they talk, they share a lot of their thoughts and troubles with each other. But this is something Kate has never been comfortable discussing with her younger sister. Not that she is dating another woman, they do talk about that, sometimes. Laura and Colette are close friends, and Kate wouldn’t want it any other way (okay, sometimes she wishes that there was a bit more distance between them, because she feels guilty venting to Laura when Colette and her have a fight). But what is going on inside her head, concerning her sexuality, that’s never been something Kate was eager to discuss with Laura.

“Liar,” Laura calls her out. When she looks at her, Kate finds her sister grinning at her wildly, and she closes her eyes for a second and shakes her head.

“Don’t,” she tells her, and finds Laura deflating when she chances another look at her. “It’s... it’s complicated, okay?” she offers with another shake of her head.

“Sorry,” Laura apologizes. She shifts, watches her sister intently. “Wanna go in?” she asks and Kate quickly shakes her head no.

“Good God, no,” she mutters and reaches up to brush her hair back behind her ear. “No, I was just... looking,” she adds, waving a hand at the rings. But Laura already has taken hold of her arm and is attempting to steer her in the direction of the door.

“Come on,” she teases, giving her a look. “It’ll be fun.”

“Laura, no,” Kate tells her and something in her voice makes her sister pause. Makes Laura turn and slowly let go of Kate’s arm, her brows drawing together.

“What’s wrong?” she asks her as she searches her face. Kate shakes her head and lets out a sigh. Looks down at her shoes on the floor and shifts uncomfortably.

“I can’t just... go into a shop and buy an engagement ring,” she mutters.

“I thought that’s how this worked,” Laura deadpans and has Kate give her sister a glare.

“If I go in there,” the redhead says and points at the jeweler's shop, “I have to out myself,” she reminds her sister. And watches as Laura’s eyes widen. “I have to tell a complete stranger that I am in a relationship with another woman, a woman I love so much that I want to marry her. And then I’m going to have to deal with the consequences.”

Laura swallows and shifts, blue eyes wide as she blinks once, twice.

“I didn’t think of that,” she mutters. Kate deflates a little and reaches out to squeeze her sister’s arm.

“I know,” she mutters in reply. Laura didn’t think about it, because she didn’t have to. This isn’t her life, not her reality. This isn’t a decision her sister is forced to make, every single time. Whether it is better to stay in the closet, or come out. Neither option is inherently better, Kate has found. They each come at a price, and sometimes it’s hard to determine which choice is going to be the less messy one, and other times there is absolutely no hesitation, no second-guessing as to what to do.

“Do you think they’d, react badly?” Laura asks, nodding towards the shop. Kate frowns, then shakes her head.

"I don’t know,” she answers with a shrug. “That is the thing. I have no idea how a lot of people are going to react, because I don’t know them. Yet there are times when my mental health, or my physical safety, hinges on guessing their reactions correctly. It’s messed up,” she shakes her head. Feels Laura’s eyes on her, watching her intently.

“Do you want me to come with you?” she offers and Kate blinks at her sister in surprise. Laura merely gives a shrug. “I mean, if you’re scared -which, I get it, no judgement-, I can come with you. And if they act like assholes, we’ll just, leave.”

Kate considers telling her sister, reminding her, that “just leaving” isn’t going to erase the interaction from her memory. She’ll still have to deal with the emotional repercussions of having someone react badly to knowing she’s a lesbian. But the offer is so sweet, so innocent, so Laura, that she cannot make herself.

“Would you,” she starts and has to clear her throat, because she’s suddenly so nervous, “do that?” she asks her sister, and Laura gives an enthusiastic nod. Slowly, Kate reaches out and takes her sister’s hand, and lets her pull her into the shop.

She still hasn’t entirely processed what she is doing, when they’re already being approached by a smartly dressed, young man.

“How can I be of service?” he asks them, giving them a bright smile.

“I, uh,” Kate starts and swallows, “I’m, looking, for an engagement ring.”

If at all possible, the smile of the employee grows even brighter.

“For your boyfriend?”

“Actually,” Kate says and clears her throat. “Girlfriend. I’m, looking for an engagement ring for my girlfriend,” she repeats and feels a weight leave her chest before it slams right back into her. The guy falters, briefly, his eyes darting to the hands of Laura and Kate.

“Oh no," Laura quickly shakes her head. “I’m her sister," she tells him, motioning towards Kate, who fears what will be coming their way in the next moment.

“Oh,” the employee breathes and relaxes and the smile is back, and it looks just the same as before. “I’m sorry," he apologizes, giving Kate an apologetic look. “I was a little, concerned. That you’d brought your fiancée along, to pick a ring for herself.”

Kate shakes her head slowly.

“People do that?” she asks, her brows twitching.

“Some,” the guy - A. Perel, his nametag reveals- tells her, and pulls a slight face. “Not the easiest customers,” he lowers his voice and gives her a wink before flashing another big smile. “But enough of that, you said you were looking for an engagement ring. Do you have any specifics in mind?” he asks her and Kate opens her mouth, only to find that she, doesn’t. And lets out a nervous laugh.

“Not really,” she admits.

“Okay,” Mister Perel nods, rubbing his hands together with enthusiasm. “Then I suggest you follow me and I show you the general options and we start narrowing down from there?”

Kate exchanges a look with her sister. Laura gives her a smile and nod and Kate finds herself relaxing somewhat before she turns back to Perel.

“Okay,” she agrees and slowly lets go of Laura’s hand as they both follow the man to the counter. He pulls out a display tray and puts some rings down on it.

“Don’t worry if you don’t see something you like immediately,” he tells her, frowning down at a case as he makes some selections. “There are just to showcase different options,” he adds before straightening. He slowly groups the rings together, and Kate can see a pattern emerge in his selections.

“So, first things first,” Perel says and points at the six rings. “Material for the band. Any thoughts?”

“Uh,” Kate mutters and shifts. “I was thinking, gold?” she offers. Perel nods.

“Classic choice,” he tells her. “We do golden bands, of course. Other materials that people can chose are Silver, Stainless Steel, and Palladium.”

“Stainless Steel?” Laura asks, crinkling her nose. Perel nods enthusiastically.

“Oh yes,” he tells her. “It’s actually pretty common," he offers. “One, it’s cheaper, and two, we sometimes end up recommending it for people who have very... hands-on professions. Bands made from precious metals can be bend or snap when mishandled one too many times, Stainless Steel offers an option where, even when you spend your days fixing cars, or doing construction work, you don’t have to worry about that. They do get scratched up, of course, but it’s not that painful when considering the price difference between a Stainless Steel ring and one in yellow gold.”

Kate tilts her head to the side, listening to the man. He is making a lot of sense.

“Right,” Laura nods. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admits, blushing slightly. The jeweler smiles at her before returning his attention to Kate.

“Still gold?” he asks and Kate nods.

“Yes,” she tells him and watches as he clears the other options off the tray and puts more down.

“Okay, so, we have classic yellow gold,” he tells her, pointing at three golden bands in varying hues of yellow, “white gold,” Perel adds, pointing to the corresponding rings, “and rose gold.”

“Oh, that looks nice,” Laura mutters at the rose gold options. And Kate finds herself agreeing, with some surprise. It does look pretty. Especially the lighter tone, one that looks more like copper than pink.

“You seem to agree,” Perel points out and Kate feels herself blush.

“She has a point,” Kate allows, casting a glance at her sister. “I actually thought about yellow gold, but now I’m more fascinated by this,” she admits. “And white gold,” she adds, motioning towards the two rings Perel pulled out to showcase that color. “I know, I’d be cheaper off with silver, but...”

“Silver ages,” Perel continues. “It slowly oxidizes, which is not an issue with white gold. Of course, you can get it cleaned, and some people actually prefer it that way. Having jewelry that shows its age, its story.”

“I can understand that,” Kate nods.

“So, white and rose gold. Would you prefer one color for the band, or do you want something with both?”

“One,” Kate immediately says, drawing a chuckle from Laura. She blinks in surprise, but finds Perel smile in slight amusement.

“One color it is,” he declares, noting it down on a small notepad next to him. “Gemstones," he says and Kate hears herself let out a soft groan. Oh God, this is going to get complicated.

“Nothing too flashy,” she informs the man as he makes new picks for the tray. Perel nods, his brows creasing slightly in concentration.

“These are just to showcase some options,” he tells Kate when he puts some new rings down. The redhead notes that they’re all either white gold or rose, except one that is a yellow gold.

“If you want to, we can just, slowly browse the rings we have, until you find something,” he tells her. “Or we can further narrow down options.”

“How much more narrowing down is there?” Kate inquires, regretting the questions when the man’s eyes sparkle mischievously.

“Ideally, until you arrive at the perfect ring,” he winks at her, but then sobers. “But this is more of a general, ‘here’s what some people like’ thing,” he adds, motioning towards the rings.

“I usually recommend people decide whether they want stones, and how many. Some only want one, like, the classic gold band with a diamond. Others like to have equally sized stones, and then there’s the option of having a center stone with smaller ones on the sides,” he explains to Kate, pointing at the rings he chose to showcase the effects of the different choices. Kate furrows her brows, taking in the choices.

“Uh,” she mutters and swallows. “We’re, working jobs with dress codes,” she tells Perel. “I mean, they allow us to wear engagement rings and wedding bands, of course,” she adds, “but, our company kind of frowns on flashy jewelry.”

“And Colette isn’t really the type for it,” Laura chimes in and Kate agrees.

“Colette is your girlfriend?” Perel asks and Kate nods, feeling her lips tug into a smile at the thought of the brunette.

“Yes,” she tells him. “She’s...” Kate starts, but trails off. “I’m pretty sure that you hear people call their partners amazing all the time,” she adds with a frown. Perel nods, tilting his head to the side.

“Amazing, charming, wonderful...” he lists with a smile. “Sometimes it sounds like they’re trying to convince themselves,” he admits, watching Kate. “But not with you,” he tells her. “Your eyes, when your sister mentioned her. You’re in love, I can tell.”

Kate feels herself blush and ducks her head slightly in embarrassment.

“That obvious, huh?” she mutters and feels Laura bump her shoulder with her own.

“She’s whipped,” her sister mock-whispers. “You should see the puppy eyes she makes at her.”

Laura’s comment draws a hearty laugh from Perel, and Kate finds herself equally amused and horrified. She has it bad for Colette, she knows that, but that Laura is sharing the fact with a stranger...

“Anyway,” Kate interrupts them, “Laura is right. Colette doesn’t wear flashy jewelry. She likes classic pieces with this sort of timeless elegance...” the redhead trails off, trying to explain her girlfriend’s taste. At a sudden idea, she pulls out her cellphone and starts going through the pictures and pulls up one of Colette dressed up for an evening at an museum. It had been an airline thing, 10 years of something or other, Kate can’t remember it right now. But she’d taken the picture when they’d both finished getting ready, because Laura hadn’t been able to attend and requested to be enabled to live vicariously through them. Kate zooms in on her girlfriend’s face, to show Perel the earrings and necklace she is wearing. The man leans in as Kate places her phone on the counter and takes in the image.

“She is beautiful,” he comments, winking at Kate. “Lucky catch,” he adds before returning to his examination. “Are those real?” he asks, motioning towards the dangling earrings and the stones catching the lights.

“No,” Kate shakes her head. “That would be way out of our price range.”

Perel inclines his head and picks up the phone to hand it back. "I think I have a general idea now,” he tells Kate. “If you say she likes more elegant pieces, I’d recommend going with either one stone, or a bigger one in the center.”

Kate nods, tilting her head slightly to the side. “I think one might be all my budget allows,” she admits. To her surprise, Perel gives a slight wave of his hand.

“You’d be surprised by what you can do with artificially created stones,” he tells her, then slowly clears the tray and starts to take out rings for Kate to look at, slowly going through them and explaining their features. Kate watches and listens, picking up a few to inspect them up close. She is more drawn to rings with a single, bigger stone, though there are some nice alternatives, she has to admit.

“Okay,” Perel mutters, putting another ring down. “So, this is a 1/3 ct diamond,” he starts to explain and Kate finds her attention zooming in on the ring. “The band is 9ct white gold and holds the stone in a claw setting,” he continues, gently pointing to the setting. “The shimmering stones on the shoulder are zirkonia. This one actually has a matching wedding band with the same twist in the shoulder. The wedding band has the zirconia, too, it is missing the big stone, however,” the jeweler explains.

“Can I,” Kate mutters, motioning towards the ring. Perel nods enthusiastically for her to go ahead and she carefully picks up the ring, keenly aware of the man watching her.

“How much is this going to set me back?” Kate asks him carefully. She is well aware that this is the first time she’s actually asked about the price of any of the rings. Perel tilts his head slightly.

“Depending on what customization you may want to add,” he starts carefully, “this one starts at about 850$.”

Next to her, Kate sees Laura flinch, and she cringes inwardly, too. Nine hundred dollars for a ring, Jesus Christ. A couple of months ago, she was the kind of person who rolled her eyes at the mere idea, but now she has to admit that she kind of gets it. It is a gorgeous piece, and honestly, this is the one ring that she has looked at and thought of Colette.

“Would you like to see the wedding band?” Perel asks her and Kate swallows thickly.

“Yes, please,” she finally answers, knowing she has sealed her fate. So much for any vacation plans she may have had for this year and the next, she thinks, before shaking her head slightly. Oh well, Colette’s well worth this. She’s worth a lot more than that, actually, Kate thinks as she casts a glance at her sister.

“Any thoughts?” she asks Laura, holding out the ring to her. Laura tilts her head, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Personally, it’s nothing I’d wear," she admits, quickly continuing on when Kate’s brows twitch in doubt, “but I think Colette’ll love it.”

“You think so?” the older Cameron inquires, suddenly feeling insecure about her choice. She wants to get this right. If she’d going to ask Colette to marry her, she wants it to be perfect. And that means finding a ring her fiancée won’t just like, but gush over.

“There you go," Perel interrupts them, placing the matching wedding band onto the tray. And Kate cringes at the knowledge that the balance on her account is going to go down by a lot.

“You were talking about customization?” Kate asks the man and places the engagement ring next to the wedding band. Perel’s face lights up and she wants to hide her face behind her hands.

“Do I take that as a yes to this ring?” he asks her and Kate nods mutely. Laura lets out a soft squeal and Kate feels her sister hug her tightly from the side. She stumbles a step to the side before catching herself and wrapping an arm around Laura.

“Sorry,” she mouths at another patron that is looking over with a mixture of surprise and slight annoyance.

“Hey, you’re not the one getting it,” Kate reminds her and feels Laura chuckle.

“No, but my sister is going to propose to her girlfriend!” Laura exclaims and claps her hands in excitement, before blushing furiously when she realizes she’s making quite a display of herself. “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, though Perel waves her off.

“Please, I have seen a lot worse,” he tells her with a bright smile. “It is an important occasion, and a wonderful reason to be happy.”

Kate finds herself smiling at the man in agreement.

“Customization," he returns to the job at hand. “We’re offering engravings, of course. Whatever you want, as long as we can get it on the ring. We can also talk about replacing the center stone with a different one. Perhaps a colored ruby, or emerald-”

At his words, Kate quickly shakes her head.

“No, I, I like the diamond,” she tells him. “It’s sort of neutral, too, so it won’t clash with anything she’ll wear.”

Perel inclines his head in acknowledgement. “If you’d like, we can also alter the band, give it a brushed metal look. The only downside is that, over time, it will need to be brushed again, as it smoothes out over time.”

“I think the way it looks right as it is is perfect,” Kate shakes her head.

“Great,” Perel smiles. “Do you want an engraving?” he asks her and Kate nods, casting a glance at her sister.

“Do you, mind?” she asks Laura. Who blinks at her with wide eyes before realizing that her sister is asking for some privacy.

“No, of course,” she quickly nods. “I’ll be, right over there,” Laura tells them and points in the direction of necklaces. Right on the other side of the shop. Kate watches her leave and shakes her head slightly at her sister’s antics.

“Sorry,” she apologizes. “I just, it didn’t feel right, to have someone else know about it, before Colette sees it,” she explains. The jeweler nods and carefully takes note of her request, letting Kate look over it to make sure that everything is correct. She settles on a line from one of her favorite poems for the engraving, _‘for beautiful you are my world’_ and settles on keeping it in lowercase letters. The redhead nods after checking all the details and feels her heartrate pick up as they finalize the order. She has to sort of guess Colette’s ring size, though. Perel assures her that they can resize it, free of charge, should it turn out to be incorrect, and she is somewhat relieved that they offer this sort of service.

“It shouldn’t take more than a week,” the man tells her as he hands Kate the receipt for pick up. “I will call you when it is ready and we set up an appointment for you to have a final inspection. If everything is to your satisfaction then, you can take it home with you.”

“Thank you so much,” Kate replies and shakes the man’s hand.

“It was my pleasure," he smiles at her and she returns the gesture before going to retrieve her sister. As they step outside the shop, Kate realizes with a start that they spent well over two hours inside it.

“I’m starving,” she declares. “Dinner?” she asks her sister and Laura nods eagerly.

“Yes. Something fancy, to celebrate,” she insists, and Kate finds herself agreeing with her on that.

* * *

Laura actually manages to keep her mouth shut, for once. Kate is almost impressed with the self-restraint her sister is exhibiting. Even though she knows that Kate’s had the ring for going on on three months now, she’s only asked her twice if she’s proposed, and both times happened when they were alone and no one could have overheard.

It’s not that she’s gotten cold feet. It’s just... it never seemed like the right moment, you know? Something else was always going on. Colette just found out she has a brother, and then Bridget and Dean broke up (again), and then there was Laura’s pregnancy scare, and then Martin did something that Colette still hasn’t told her what exactly it was, but that kept the brunette’s mind well occupied for weeks, and, yeah.

She just, she wants it to be a moment between just them, without other people and their troubles circling their thoughts. And Kate is slowly beginning to realize that maybe, they take on too much. Because if, within three months, they cannot manage one evening where there is no outside influence, then surely there is something wrong. Either that, or the universe has conspired against her.

She was tempted to do it on the anniversary of their first flight together, but then they had been on layover that day, and there is no way she is going to drag around a thousand dollars worth of jewelry in her carry-on, oh God, no. So that opportunity passes her by, and she’s trying to figure out another chance, when it just, happens.

They’re in the kitchen of their apartment. Colette was in a mood for some baking, and she decided to bully her into it, and Kate sighs as she tilts her head at the crooked, unevenly decorated cake.

"Let’s hope it tastes better than it looks," she declares. Colette looks up from her attempt to manage a sugary rose and gives her a mock glare.

“Are you doubting my skills?” she asks her and Kate lets out a laugh.

“For someone who worked in a bakery, you have surprisingly little talent at decorating,” the redhead points out. Colette slowly places the bag of frosting down and Kate fears, for a second, that she upset her. But then she sees the twitch at the corner of her girlfriend’s mouth, and how she’s trying to suppress a grin, and she feels relieved and lets out a breath.

“No cake for you, then," Colette declares and Kate feels her jaw drop.

“What?” she asks, her voice shrill. “That’s not fair!” Kate exclaims, pointing at the thing sitting on the counter. “I helped!”

The two women look at each other and then burst into laughter. Kate takes a step closer to her girlfriend and pulls Colette into a kiss.

“You sounded like an upset toddler just then," Colette murmurs against her lips. Kate feels the urge to stick out her tongue at her, but decides that doing it might just prove the brunette’s point.

“You weren’t being fair,” she points out instead and feels Colette sigh against her lips. Kate reaches out and places her hands on the counter on either side of Colette, trapping her.

“You weren’t being nice,” Colette replies and rubs her nose against hers before kissing Kate again. The redhead feels herself melt against her partner, a soft, content sigh leaving her.

“Marry me.”

Colette freezes and pulls back to stare at Kate in shock, and the redhead feels herself flush at the realization that she’s said the words out loud instead of just in her head.

“What?” Colette squeaks and Kate thinks it’s adorable when she’s caught completely off-guard and has no idea what to do. She blinks and shakes her head slightly to pull herself from those thoughts.

“Marry me," she repeats, looking right into Colette’s eyes. To her surprise, the brunette inclines her head and shifts to the side and Kate lets go of the counter to allow her to escape. To step away from her and to the sink so she can wash her hands. Huh?

“Did I say something wrong?” Kate asks as she crosses her arms. That Colette is ignoring her question... is ignoring her, it, stings. It actually really, really hurts. Like someone plunged a knife into her chest and is slowly twisting it.

Colette shuts off the water and grabs a towel to dry her hands before she turns to look at Kate again, leaning back against the sink.

“I don’t know,” the brunette finally says. “Did you?” she asks her, giving Kate a pointed look.

“Did I what?” she frowns.

“Say something wrong,” Colette repeats and crosses her arms as well. “I’d, understand. If you changed your mind. I get that, spur-of-the-moment, people say all kinds of things they don’t actually mean-”

“I meant it,” Kate cuts her off in protest. And finds Colette look at her, her face one of utter surprise. “I mean, obviously I didn’t plan on blurting it out like that, but... I mean it, Colette.”

“Right,” the brunette nods and reaches up to run a hand through her hair. Is it just Kate’s imagination, or is she actually avoiding answering her.

“So, what do you say?” the redhead plucks up what is left of her courage.

“Kate...” Colette mutters and closes her eyes briefly. When she opens them again, she looks... almost sad.

“I love you. I do, please do not think that this is a reflection of my feelings for you, because it is not,” the brunette says and Kate’s heart plummets as she realizes what kind of answer she’s going to receive.

“Right,” she laughs bitterly and looks away. She doesn’t want Colette to see how much she’s just hurt her. Doesn’t want her to notice the tears that are burning in her eyes. Fuck this, she thinks, and reaches up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Hears Colette move, step closer.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers and Kate feels her fingers brush against her hand and quickly pulls it back. She really, really cannot stand the thought of being touched by her right now.

“Kate, I...” Colette starts, fumbling for words, before she switches to French. Tells Kate that she loves her, with all her heart, but that she cannot say yes to an impromptu proposal. She needs her to be sure, needs Kate to be absolutely certain about this.

“I was when I bought the ring,” Kate mutters and sees Colette stiffen.

“Quoi?” she breathes, and Kate looks at her again, confused by the breathy sound her girlfriend made. With a start, she realizes that Colette’s eyes are filling with tears and barely concealed hope.

“I, bought a ring,” Kate repeats slowly. “Couple weeks ago, actually. I was just, looking for the right moment.”

Colette inclines her head and shifts, a sniffle leaving her. She reaches up and wipes a tear away from her cheek, a teary laugh leaving the brunette.

“Ah, merde,” she mumbles, fingers straining for Kate’s hand again. Who lets her touch her now. Turns her hand to catch Colette’s fingers and gives them a gentle squeeze.

"I guess I did, get caught up in the moment,” Kate admits. “When I asked, I mean. But the decision to propose, it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing, Colette. I can get the ring right now, if you want me to. Do this properly.”

Colette hesitates, her teeth flashing as she worries her bottom lip, before she gives a curt nod.

“Oui,” she mutters softly. “I, think I do. Want you to, do it properly,” she adds. Kate swallows and nods and leans in to brush her lips over her cheek before extracting her hand. She leaves the kitchen and makes her way to the bedroom, pulls out the top drawer of their dresser. Quickly pulls the bundles of socks from the back left corner and grabs the velvet box sitting there. The weight feels heavy in her hand, her heart is racing and she can barely breathe as she shuts the drawer and makes her way back to the kitchen.

Colette turns and looks at her with big eyes, suddenly shy and awkward.

“Uh," Kate starts and clears her throat. She’d kneel down, but the floor is speckled with flour and sugar from earlier. So she just steps up to Colette and takes her hand, holding the box behind her back with the other.

“I love you, Colette,” she tells her, feeling a weight leave her as she begins to talk. “I love your soul, I love your humor, I love your smile. I love the way you kiss me, I love how you can make me laugh when I need it most. I love how you hold me when I’m sad and let me cry against your shoulder. I love sharing my life with you. And I want to do that, forever. I want to keep falling asleep in your arms. I want to wake up beside you. I want to grow old with you. So, Colette Valois,” Kate says and lets go of her hand to open the ring box and holds it up between them. “Will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?” she asks. Colette blinks, a hand pressed against her mouth as tears begin to spill from her eyes.

“Oui,” she breathes and then lunges herself at Kate. Hugs her tightly and squashes the box with the ring between them. Kate takes a stumbling step backwards before she manages to regain her balance. She pulls out her hands and wraps her arms around Colette, hugging the woman to her.

"Je t’aime,” she whispers against Colette’s ear and kisses her temple as she feels her shake with soft sobs.

“Je t’aime, aussi," Colette replies and leans back to capture Kate’s lips in a teary, breathless kiss. “I love you, so, so much,” the brunette mutters and reaches up to cradle Kate’s face in her hands.

“So, it’s a yes?” Kate still has to ask. Wait, Colette did say yes, didn’t she?”

“Oui, mon coeur,” the French woman nods with a brilliant smile, and Kate lets out a relieved laugh before leaning in for another kiss. She slowly breaks their embrace and takes the ring from the box.

“Right or left?” she asks Colette.

“Left,” her girlfriend, well, fiancée, answers and holds out her hand. Kate braces herself and slowly slips on the ring, blinking in surprise when she finds that it actually fits. She’d been worried that she’d guessed wrongly and that they’d have to get it resized...

“It’s beautiful,” Colette breathes when Kate lets go of her hand. “Thank you so much,” the brunette whispers and pulls her in for another kiss. When she breaks it, she’s looking at Kate with a contemplative expression.

“What?” the redhead asks, circling Colette’s waist with her arms to pull her close. After that scare, she’s not going to let go of her any time soon.

“Do I have to get you a ring as well?” the other woman asks, and Kate’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, before they knit together in a soft frown.

“I don’t think so,” she replies. “Unless you want to, of course," she adds, suddenly thinking that, actually, maybe she would like Colette to get her one. Propose to her, as well. Then again, they’re engaged. They’re going to get married. Kate will get her ring, eventually.

“I think I do,” Colette answers, her head tilted slightly to the side. “I don’t want anyone else flirting with you," she adds, her nose crinkling slightly as Kate lets out a soft laugh of amusement.

“Yeah, I forgot about that,” she admits, remembering how male passengers suddenly stopped flirting with Bridget for the brief period where the woman wore an engagement ring. There had been the occasional jerk who didn’t get the message, but most of them had been more respectful of the symbol.

Colette lets out a content sigh and leans forward to touch her forehead to Kate’s, relaxing.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes, her voice soft and gentle. “For the way I reacted, when you first asked. It just... I know this is difficult, for you. And I figured that I wouldn’t propose to you, even though I thought of it a few times, because I would have hated to cause you any anxiety or stress or something like that. And when I thought that you’d just be so flippant about it-”

“I wasn’t,” Kate reminds her. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Not take this seriously, I mean,” she adds when she feels Colette tense slightly. “I know this is a big step, and believe me, I’ve given this a lot of thought. But I want this. I want to marry you, more than anything else.”

“Good,” Colette nods and brushes her lips over Kate. "Because I really want to marry you, too.”

* * *

 

Kate tilts her head and lifts up her camera, adjusting the zoom before she takes a few pictures of the view.

She loves Prague. Loves this strange feeling the city stirs up in her. Like she’s getting lost in history. Like this is a dream and she’s getting swept up by the various colliding tides of historical events happening all over this beautiful city.

Charles Bridge is one of their “must see” destinations whenever their crew is in the city. Somehow, it never gets old for Kate. The view is always breathtaking, looking at this sprawling old city and the river cutting it into two parts.

Colette is standing in front of one of the statues, looking up at it, a contemplative expression on her face. Kate takes a picture and smiles at the image on the display of her camera before she puts it away. Enough pictures for today. Possibly the entire layover, really.

She walks over to her fiancée and wraps her arms around her waist.

"Penny for your thoughts?” she asks, and Colette lets out a soft sigh.

“I was just wondering, what they’d say, if they could talk. How much they have seen, how many people, how many stories...” the brunette trails off with a shrug. She tilts her head and captures Kate’s lips in a gentle kiss. A few steps down, someone if playing the violin, in hopes of collecting some money from the passing tourists. Kate laughs when she realizes that they’re playing Smetana’s “Vltava”.

“I could stay here forever," the redhead sighs. It’s a lovely evening of early summer. The sun is starting to slowly set, dousing the red shingle roofs of the city in light and reflecting off the water of the river.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Colette agrees. She steps out of Kate’s embrace and the redhead lets her go. Checks her watch and looks down the bridge, trying to decide whether they should turn around and find a place nearby to have dinner, or if they might be better off looking for something closer to the hotel.

When she looks up she realizes with a start that some tourists have stopped and are watching her intently. She frowns and shakes her head and turns to Colette to ask what on earth is going on with people these days, when her heart skips a beat before jumping into her throat.

Colette is kneeling down on the stones of Charles Bridge, is kneeling on one knee, a little black velvet box in her hand.

“Speaking of staying in a moment forever,” the brunette starts, a nervous smile twitching across her lips. “I am so incredibly lucky to have been blessed with knowing you, Kate. To have fallen in love with my best friend, and to find that my feelings were returned. I love you, with all my heart. And I would like to spend the rest of my life at your side,” Colette says and opens the velvet box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. “Catherine Cameron, will you marry me?”

Kate shifts on her feets and gives a soft sniffle at the tears that have welled up in her eyes. She nods, overcome by emotions and unable to find her voice for a second.

“Yes,” she finally croaxes, “yes!” she exclaims and pulls Colette up to wrap her arms around the other woman. Feels heat burn in her cheeks as she hears the applause of the tourists they’ve managed to attract with their display. Colette chuckles softly and wraps her arms around her, holding her close.

"Je t’aime,” the brunette whispers and kisses Kate’s cheek. “Come, let me see if the ring fits,” she adds and Kate nods, withdrawing slightly before she holds out her left hand.

It’s a yellow gold band with a diamond sitting in the middle. Much like Colette’s, it has an engraving. When she sees the engraving on the ring Colette picked for her, Kate swallows, hard.

_Mon coeur est à toi._ My heart is yours.

She lets Colette slide the ring onto her finger and blinks in surprise when it seems to fit perfectly.

“I may have done some sneaky measuring," Colette admits with a sly smile and cradles Kate’s face to brush her lips over hers in a soft kiss. The redhead lets a sigh escape her and reaches up to stroke her fiancée’s cheek. She’d like to kiss back, to deepen the kiss and pull Colette close. But they’re not alone, and as much of a public display this proposal was, Kate would like to not give these strangers an encore, so to speak. So she merely leans in and rests her forehead against Colette’s, bumping her nose briefly.

“How did you do this?” she asks, her voice a soft whisper between them.

“What, like you are the only one that can be sneaky?” Colette teases her. “I went to look at rings when you were pulled into a flight to Zagreb,” she explains. “As for hiding it in the apartment, that part was a bit more tricky. I actually put it into my winter boots," the brunette tells her and draws a laugh from Kate.

“Genius,” she mutters and brushes her lips over Colette’s again before withdrawing. “Do you want to go have dinner now?” she inquires. “Find someplace fancy that will let us in dressed like this,” she motions between them and their casual streetwear, “to celebrate the occasion?”

Colette tilts her head and checks her watch.

“I made reservations, actually,” she tells her. “At the place right across the clock tower, in about an hour,” she elaborates. Kate raises her eyebrows in surprise. It’s a tourist destination. The clock tower, that is. The restaurant lives off of hungry tourists finding their way down their steps after viewing the hourly spectacle. It’s good Czech cuisine, but it’s nothing fancy, and they won’t have to change at all. If they start now, they’ll make it there at a leisurely stroll and still have a couple minutes to spare.

“Then let’s go,” she agrees and holds out her arm for her fiancée. Colette gives her a warm smile and hooks hers through it and they slowly set out in the direction of the restaurant.

_fin._


End file.
